General manager awards them, without bids, up to $50,000, a practice he calls standard

At least one critic, who started a recall drive after the health benefits were awarded, questioned the contracts being approved without public consideration by the water board.

“They do things like this and then have the gall to say that they are transparent,” said the critic, Dan Connell. “They are basically giving away our money as ratepayers to Bonilla’s friends without recourse. When a board member doesn’t even know that this is going on, that’s not transparency.”

“The contracts to which you refer are not sensitive or controversial contracts; rather they are a component of a board-approved project,” Watton said.

Otay is anticipating receiving up to 20 million gallons a day from the desalination plant, which is being built by a private company in Mexico. For its part, Otay would build a pipeline to the border to bring the water into the country. The pipeline project would require the approval of several local, state and federal agencies.

The consultants hired all have extensive knowledge and experience, Watton said, and their ties to Bonilla were immaterial.

“Each of these individuals,” Bonilla said, “have stellar professional credentials, excellent reputations, personal and professional accomplishments, and each brings specific expertise that will assist the district in achieving success for its projects.”

The Watchdog reviewed general manager contract approvals for the county’s other independent water agencies and found no active PR or consulting contracts.

Watton said general managers in the county’s smaller districts would not be an appropriate comparison because they are not involved large and complex projects. A more appropriate comparison, he said, would be the San Diego County Water Authority.

At the authority, General Manager Maureen Stapleton can sign contracts up to $150,000 without board approval, and amendments up to $150,000. Stapleton can, and has, executed lobbying contracts without competitive bids or from single sources.

Over the past year, Stapleton executed one lobbying and public relations contract, San Francisco-based SCN Communications, to assist the district in a lawsuit against Metropolitan Water District over rates. It was executed after the water authority solicited four firms for the job.

Authority contracts are automatically forwarded to the board if subsequent renewals push the amount higher than Stapleton’s authority. Otay’s procurement policy does not have that feature.

Stapleton said each agency has different practices.

“I don’t think there is some kind of hard-and-fast rule, or rule-of-thumb for all agencies,” she said. “One trait of a successful manager is understanding his or her own board’s need for information and fulfilling that need, while carrying out the work of the district in an efficient and effective manner.”

Bonilla agreed.

“Other districts or boards of directors may choose to do things differently since each has its own code of ordinances,” he said. “The general manager followed the process the board of directors established.”

Disclosure: Enrique Morones is a member of the U-T’s Latino advisory council